GB2201597A

GB2201597A - Faecal incontinence bag

Info

Publication number: GB2201597A
Application number: GB08611296A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Leslie Steer; Ronald A Plass
Original assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Current assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Priority date: 1986-05-09
Filing date: 1986-05-09
Publication date: 1988-09-07
Anticipated expiration: 2006-05-09
Also published as: CA1294503C; ZA873046B; NO871909D0; US4917692A; JPS6323660A; EP0245064A2; DK235987D0; GB8611296D0; DK235987A; NZ220105A; NO167787B; NO871909L; EP0245064A3; NO167787C; AU602690B2; AU7242087A; GB2201597B

Description

A 1 22,0 1597 -l- FAECAL INCONTINENCE BAG This invention relates to a bag

for receiving waste products for use by persons suffering from faecal incontinence.

Hitherto, faecal incontinence bags have used adhesive pads for attachment to a subject which are of generally circular shape. In order to provide sufficient support for the bags, the circular pads need to be relatively large. Such large pads may, however, be difficult to accurately position on the subject to seal around the anus. In addition, these pads are uncomfortable for both male and female subjects in that they may rub against the scrotum in males or interfere with other bodily functions in fernales.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a faecal incontinence bag having flexible front and rear walls secured together around their periphery, the front wall having a hole therein for entry of matter discharged by the wearer, the hole being surrounded by an adhesive pad of skin-compatible water-resistant material secured to the external surface of the front wall surrounding the hole, and the pad being of generally heart-shape so that when in position on the wearer the concave portion of the heart-shaped pad is towards the front of the wearer.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a faecal incontinence bag having flexible front and rear walls secured together around their periphery, the front wall having a hole therein for entry of matter discharged by the wearerp the hole being surrounded an adhesive pad of skin-compatible water-resistant material 11 h secured to the external surface of the front w all surrounding the hole, and at least one resilient pad being provided between the front and rear walls in the region of the hole to urge apart said walls. The adhesive pad is preferably heart-shaped.

The use of a heart-shaped pad in accordance with the invention provides a large area for attachment of the bag to the wearer whilst being very much more comfortable than bags using circular pads. The pad of adhesive is preferably formed from a protective material comprising a blend of a water-soluble or water-swellable hydrocelloid and a water-insoluble viscose elastic binder. One suitable material for the pad is that sold under the trade name 11Stomahesivell by E.R. Squibb & Sons Limited. The pad is generally attached to the front wall of the bag by one or more concentric welds and, if desired, the size of the hole can be increased by cutting away material within the area defined by the weld(s).

The bag may include a filter housing containing gas filtering and deodorising material in order to allow escape of flatus from the bag. If desired, the bag may also be provided with a drain tube and plug or v aiv e.

The surface of the front wall for contact with the wearer may be provided with a so-called "comfort layer" i.e. a layer of perforated or porous plastic material to prevent the bag from sticking to the wearer.

Bags in accordance with the invention having a resilient pad or cushion between the front and rear walls are generally provided with one such pad of resilient plastics material e.g. of open cell foam structure. Preferably, the resilient pad is of U-shape, the arms of the U extending along the length of the bag on either side of the hole. In this arrangement, the pad is conveniently provided with a slot at the base of the U so that the bag may be readily folded along its length and inserted between the t k.

4 buttocks of the wearer on attachment. The.resitient pad is conveniently secured in place within the bag by glueing or welding to the front and or rear walls.

Embodirnents of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a faecal incontinence bag according to the invention having an optional resilient pad or cushion; Figure 2 shows a part cross section along the line A-A of the bag shown in Figure 1 including the resilient pad or cushion; Figure 3 shows a front view of a resilient pad or cushion for use with a faecal incontinence bag according to the invention;and Figure 4 shows a side view of the resilient pad shown in Figure 3.

The faecal incontinence bag shown in Figures 1 and 2 has a front wall 10 and a rear wall 11 welded together around their periphery. The front wall has a circular hole 12 therein, and this is surrounded on the external surface of the front wall by a heart-shaped adhesive pad of skincompatible water resistant material 13. The pad is secured to the front wall along a series of weld lines 14 and, if desired, the hole 12 may be increased in size for use provided that the outermost weld line is not broken.

Normally, the front and rear walls are of synthetic plastic material such as PVC or multilayer films with high odour barrier properties.

A filter housing 15 is located towards the upper end of the rear wall 11. The filter housing incorporates a gas-permeable outer membrane and a hole (not shown) is provided in the rear wall to permit gases from the interior of the bag to pass through the filter.

1 The bag may be provided with an outlet tube 16 together with a suitable closure 17. A faecal icontinence bag according to the invention may also be provided with a resilient pad or cushion 18 which may be conveniently glued in position to the rear wall 11 and which serves to urge apart the front and rear walls. A suitable resilient pad is shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4. The resilient pad shown is of generally U-shape, but it will be appreciated that other shapes may be used. The pad shown is approximately 15 mm thick and is provided with a V-shaped cut away 19 to enable the pad to be readily folded along its length. The resilient pad is conveniently formed from a closed cell plastics material e.g. low density polyethylene/EVA.

A faecal incontinence bag according to the invention is conveniently provided with a layer of perforated plastics material 20 on the front panel. This layer helps to improve comfort for the wearer.

In use, a bag as shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be folded along its length with the front wall facing outwards. The folded bag may then be introduced between the buttocks of the subject so that the hole 12 aligns with the anus of the subject and with the concave side of the heart- shaped adhesive pad facing towards the front of the subject. The adhesive pad 13 is then sealed against the skin of the subject. Both the shape of the adhesive pad 13 and the provision of the resilient pad 18 help to attach the bag to the subject. In addition, the shape of the adhesive pad 13 provides for comfortable wear by the subject. The provision of the resilient pad also improves comfort for the subject particularly when the bag contains waste material.

Claims

1. A faecal incontinence bag having flexible front and.rear walls secured together around their periphery, the front wall having a hole therein for entry of matter discharged by the wearer, the hole being surrounded by an adhesive pad of skin-compatible water-resistant material secured to the external surface of the front wall surrounding the hole, and the pad being of generally heart-shape so that when in position on the wearer the concave portion of the heart-shaped pad is towards the front of the wearer.

2. A faecal incontinence bag having flexible front and rear walls secured together around their periphery, the front wall having a hole therein for entry of matter discharged by the wearer, the hole being surrounded an adhesive pad of skin-compatible water-resistant material secured to the external surface of the front wall surrounding the hole, and at least one resilient pad being provided between the front and rear walls in the region of the hole to urge apart said walls.

3. A bag according to claim 1 or 2 in which the pad of adhesive is formed from a protective material comprising a blend of a water-soluble or water-swellable hydrocellold and a water-insoluble viscose elastic binder.

4. A bag according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the pad is attached to the front wall of the bag by one or more concentric welds.

5. A bag according to any preceding claim including a filter housing containing gas filtering and deodorising material in order to allow escape of flatus from the bag.

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6 6. A bag according to any preceding claim including a drain tube and plug or valve.

7. A bag according to any preceding claim in which the surface of the front wall for contact with the wearer is provided with a layer of perforated or porous plastic material to prevent the bag from sticking to the wearer.

8. A bag according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon in which the resilient pad is of U-shape, the arms of the U extending along the length of the bag on either side of the hole.

9. A bag according to claim 8 in which the pad is provided with a slot at the base of the U so that the bag may be readily folded along its length and inserted between the buttocks of the wearer on attachment.

10. A bag according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon in which the resilient pad is of resilient plastics open cell foam material.

11. A bag according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon in which the pad is heart-shaped.

12.. A bag according to claim 2 or any claim dependent thereon in which the resilient pad is secured in place within the bag by gluing or welding to the front and rear bag walls.

13. A faecal incontinence bag substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel combination or sub-combination disclosed and/or illustrated herein.

Publish d 1988 at The Patent OJEce, State House, 66171 High Holborn, London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from rhe Patent 0Mce, 0